"Love of the Common People" is a song written by

John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins John David Hurley (April 18, 1941 – August 16, 1986) and Ronald Stephen Wilkins (born October 8, 1941) were American musicians and songwriting partners responsible for writing the hit songs "Love of the Common People" and "Son of a Preacher Ma ...

, eventually released in 1970 on John Hurley's album ''John Hurley Sings about People,'' but first sung in January 1967 by

The Four Preps The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Big Man (The Four ...

. The Four Preps recording was not a hit, but, later in 1967,

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

and

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

would each issue their versions of the song, both of which "bubbled under" in the US charts; Newton's version peaked at No. 106, the Everlys' at No. 114. However, the Everly Brothers' recording was a major hit in Canada, peaking at No. 4. In 1968, Irish artist

Joe Dolan Joseph Francis Robert Dolan (16 October 1939 – 26 December 2007) was an Irish entertainer, recording artist, and pop singer. Chiefly known in Ireland for his association with showbands and for his innovative style and high pitched singing ...

and backing grouping The Drifters recorded a version which hit the Top 10 in the Irish Singles Chart, but did not chart elsewhere. Soul group

The Winstons The Winstons were an American funk and soul music group based in Washington, D.C. They are known for their 1969 recording featuring a song entitled "Color Him Father" on the A-side, and "Amen, Brother" on the B-side. Halfway into "Amen, Brother", ...

recorded their version in 1969, where it peaked at No. 54 on the US

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. A year later, Nicky Thomas had a major UK hit (No. 9) with a reggae-inspired version, and

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...

had a No. 2 UK hit (and No. 1 in several European countries) in 1983 with his interpretation of the song.

Lyrics

The lyrics tell a bleak story of poverty and unemployment. There is a mention of "free food tickets," a reference to government food stamp and welfare programs, in the very first line, and the lyrics also describe the subject family as having holes in their clothes, their roof and their shoes. The last verse advises the subject family to keep their faith strong and to maintain hope for improvement.

Nicky Thomas version

Nicky Thomas recorded a

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and a ...

-produced

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

version of the song in 1970, which sold over 175,000 copies in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and reached number 9 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall,'' Greenwood Press, , p. 292 It was Thomas's largest selling single, and, according to Steve Leggett of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, "practically defines the term 'pop reggae.'"Leggett, Steve " ''Love of the Common People: The Best of Nicky Thomas'' Review ''

,'' Macrovision Corporation, retrieved 6 December 2009

Paul Young version

In 1982,

released his interpretation of "Love of the Common People" as a single, but initially it failed to chart. Only after Young's first and second solo hits in 1983, with "

Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and first recorded by Gaye in 1962. It was the B-side to his 1969 hit "Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby". Paul Young's version of the son ...

" and "

Come Back and Stay "Come Back and Stay" is a song that was first recorded in 1981 by its writer Jack Lee. In 1983, singer Paul Young released his version as a single from his album, '' No Parlez'', and it became an international hit. The song reached number 4 o ...

", and the single's re-release did it become successful. The single peaked at No 2 in the UK, and reached the No 1 spot in Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands. This version also contained a solo by

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

and

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

Rico Rodriguez.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

*Soul group

recorded their version in 1969, where it peaked at No. 54 on the

. *It was also a Top 10 hit in Ireland for

showband The Irish showband was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. The showband was based on the internationally popular six- or seven-piece dance band. The band's basic repertoire included standard dance numbers and ...

star

in 1968. *

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

recorded a version on his second album

Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy ''Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy'' is Leonard Nimoy's second album released shortly after '' Music from Outer Space''. It was released in early 1968 by Dot Records and reached 97 on the US album chart. Background The album is a continuation of the " ...

in 1968. *

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

recorded a version on his album “ Rhymes & Reasons”. *

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

recorded a version which appears on his covers album " Chartbusters Go Pop", released in 1994.

Singles

List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1984 These hits topped the Dutch Top 40 in 1984. See also *1984 in music References {{Dutch Top 40 1984 in the Netherlands 1984 record charts 1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independenc ...

List of number-one singles of 1983 (Ireland) This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart in 1983. *22 Number Ones *Most weeks at No. 1 (song): "Words" - F. R. David (5) *Most weeks at No. 1 (artist): The Police (7) *Most No. 1s: The Police, Paul Youn ...

List of number-one hits of 1984 (Italy) This is a list of number-one songs in 1984 on the Italian charts compiled weekly by the Italian Hit Parade Singles Chart. Chart history Number-one artists References {{FIMI 1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultan ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love Of The Common People (Song) Country ballads Rhythm and blues ballads Pop ballads Paul Young songs Joe Dolan songs 1982 singles 1983 singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Songs about poverty 1967 songs Capitol Records singles CBS Records singles